(no subject)

[supertinks]

Ok it’s been a whole week since I last wrote anything of any use on here. It seems that I don’t have as much time for Live Journal as I once did – is this a sign of me having a more interesting life, or am I just finding new and interesting ways to waste time?

 

Anyway, I keep thinking of things I ought to write about on here, but never getting round to it. So here goes for a proper, probably long-winded account of my life over the last however long it’s been. Apologies for length, I have cut and categorized to try and make it easier for you to read.

 

Starting of course, with the obligatory rant about my job – I was going to write loads, but after LJ lost my post when I was still writing it, I have decided not to try and repeat myself. Suffice it to say that my office is full of skinny, dieting obsessed chavs, weird religious fanatics (including a Mormon, who was most surprised when I recognized her religion and actually knew anything about it.), and a collection of otherwise uninteresting, normal people. I am yet to find anyone I can truly relate to and/or consider a decent friend, except perhaps Sophie, but then she hasn’t been around much due to her partner’s mum dying the other week. He’s managed to raise over three grand for MND now, which is absolutely amazing, don’t you think?

The company I work for is rubbish. They have crap policies, and stupid rules. Its impossible to do anything right on my own, due to a lack of decent training, them not having given us access to everything on the system until now (5 months after starting, even though they’ve expected us to be able to do anything for the last few months), us not being allowed to do things in any other way than how its supposed to be done (even if we have a great idea for doing it differently, which would make it quicker/easier/less hassle/better for the customers). The only thing they care about is cutting costs. No wonder the company has such a ridiculously high turnover of staff. If I had a better/closer job to go to, I would leave. However I have not found that better job yet. But I am looking.

 

I have 2 days off work now, which is marred only slightly by me not being completely healthy. I have Jamie’s nasty bug, which means sore throat, hugely blocked sinuses, headaches, achy limbs etc. And it will last for ages, well into next week, by all accounts. It was very well timed though, as I didn’t need to go down the emergency doctor’s appointment route, as I already had an appointment for this morning. Was very funny, I went in and listed off the four or five things I needed to see her about (including my new found viral infection), and she was great. She dealt with them all quickly and efficiently, wrote me out a million and one prescriptions (ok, three, for 5 different medicines and the like) which have cost me a small fortune, and now I have to go back for a blood test to check my liver function in a couple of weeks, to make sure that one of the tablets is working. It seems to me that had I dealt with each problem when it first arose, I wouldn’t have had to deal with them all at once, but hey, I’m lazy and I don’t like going to the doctor, so I guess it’s my fault.

Will have to get used to taking tablets and stuff though, I’m stuck with them for the next 8 weeks!

 

Let me see, what else did I have to talk about? Books! Ah yes, books. Jamie has decided I don’t read enough ‘proper’ fantasy novels. He dislikes Tolkien, hates David Eddings, he hasn’t tried to read my Redwall books yet although he promises he will, but they are children’s books so I don’t think he counts them as ‘proper’ fantasy. I think is aim is to get me to read Steven Erikson books, but when I tried the first one, “Gardens of the Moon”, I didn’t like it, and found it very difficult to get into it and stuff. So he decided to work me up to Erikson, through a variety of other authors.

He started me off with KJ Parker’s “Colours in the Steel”, book one of the Fencer Trilogy, which I quite enjoyed. However, he did not have book 2 in the house, only book 3, so I am yet to read the rest of this trilogy.

Next he bade me read David Gemmel’s “Lord of the Silver Bow”, the first part of his new trilogy about Troy. This was also very good, and I am annoyed that I have to wait for the second book to be published before I can read it.

Next came Raymond Feist’s “Magician”, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Again, we are missing the next books in the series, so I have to make do with other authors till I can get back to the work of Midkemia.

I have just finished reading Robin Hobb’s “Farseer Trilogy”, a series of books which I have been meaning to read for Some Time TM. I believe I have Rosie to blame for my desire to read these books. And I have to say, I did enjoy them, except for the very end of it, which I felt was rather flat. I did like the concepts of the Skill and the Wit, and Elderlings. But dragons? Did it have to be dragons? Kind of dragged it back from the ‘interesting and new ideas’ category to ‘bog standard fantasy fiction’ category, which was a shame.

I have the Liveship Traders books lined up to read as well, but I was told by Jamie to take a break from Robin Hobb and read some more Gemmel, so I am now reading “Lion of Macedon”. I am only a little way into it at the moment, but it looks promising. I find David Gemmel very easy to read, and there is a lot of it to read, as he has written a lot of books. I would be reading “Legend” now, but Jamie doesn’t have it here. Like me, his book collection is split between here and Wales, and I’m not going out and spending more money on books that we already own one way or another.

 

Lets see what else… films, perhaps. We went to see ‘V for Vendetta’ last night, taking advantage for the first time of the Orange 2-4-1 deal on Wednesdays. It was perhaps the most well spent £6.25 of the week. We both thought it was awesome. Hugo Weaving’s acting was superb, to be able to convey so much emotion etc through just his voice and his body. Out of all the comics/graphic novels made into films that I have seen, I have to say this one is currently my favourite. Even though it was fairly violent in places (and I am not a big fan of bloody violence/guns in movies) it retained the graphic novel edge that stopped it being so real, which was very cool.

Also last week, I was made to watch ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ for the first time (the George Clooney version), which I also liked. And thus my education in films continues as well.

 

I haven’t mentioned the rugby I know, although most of you probably don’t really care. I am pleased with our performance against France, it bodes well for the world cup next year, as well as next year’s Six Nations. I was glad to see Ireland beat England too, and well impressed with Italy’s overall performance. I was also glad that the only match I went to see was the one match Wales won!

 

Hmm not much else to add now, save that Jamie is off to murder players at the Spring Event this weekend, leaving me much to my own devices. Gyms and swimming pools will no doubt fill much of my time, as will Rome: Total War which I am still enjoying playing. On Saturday I drive to Cambridge to visit Mr Beaver, which could go either way really. I’m hoping it will be pleasant and nice and we’ll be able to have a decent conversation about stuff, without having to worry about saying the wrong thing or anything like that. Of course, the main reason for the visit is to get the rest of my stuff, my Discworld books and some stuffed toys I accidentally left behind at the flat in Chester when I moved all my things. But it will be nice to see him again, and see his new house and things. And to see what his new kit is like. And the drive will be fun, except for the M25 bit.

 

Right I’m off into town to go meet Jamie for lunch and stuff. I have said more than enough for one post, I think!

 

Comments

[rhube.livejournal.com]

Ah, but wait until you see where she's going with the dragons.

[supertinks.livejournal.com]

Well I can't get back to Robin Hobb till I've done more Gemmel, Feist and Parker. Unless I cheat, and read them first.

Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention that I started out hating the fact it was in first person, but I got used to it after a while and I guess the story wouldnt have worked half as well if you werent inside Fitz's head like all of the time.